Some Memories of Germany, Part 3

All of these pictures were taken at various times during the 1980s.

Der Römer, the city hall of Frankfurt, am Römerberg, the plaza around the area.

I believe this is Niddastrasse in Frankfurt back in the 1980s, a picture taken from my hotel room.

The entrance to the Frankfurt Zoo in the 1980s.

This is St. Katharinenkirche (St. Catherine's Church, Lutheran), built circa 1680, but largely destroyed in World War Two, then rebuilt in the early 1950s. The column in the lower right with the advertisements on it is called a "Litfaßsäule," invented in Berlin by Ernst Litfaß (ß=double s) in the 1800s; they are a common way to display advertisements in the German speaking countries.

A view from the river in Frankfurt.

WORD HISTORY:
Hight-This is not a misspelling, but rather the word is now archaic, but perhaps it will make a comeback. This word, meaning "to call by name, to name," goes back to Indo European "kei," which had the notion of "move, cause to move." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "haitanan," which meant "to call, to call by name, to call out to" (all tied to the "move, cause to move" idea, as when you are called, it causes you to move ... well, in theory). This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "hatan" (first "a" is long), which meant "to call, to name, to be called, to summon," the singular past tense forms of which were "heht/hehte" (later in English, the past tense "te" ending would become "ed," while close cousin German still uses "te"). Naturally, the past tense meant "to be called, to be named," and the "heht/hehte" forms later became "hight." The other Germanic languages have: German "heißen" (ß=double s) ^, Low German Saxon and Dutch "heten," West Frisian "hjitte/hite," Danish "hedde," Icelandic "heitir," Norwegian "hete," Swedish "heta." All of these have the general meanings, "be named, be called," and "some," like their English relative, are not commonly used as much, or may be more dialectal, although the German form is very much alive and well, and very common.

^ Long ago, the high Germanic dialects experienced a sound shift, which often rendered the "t" sound as "s," or double "s;" thus, for instance, English has "kettle," but German has "Kessel."  Standard German is heavily based upon the high dialects of old.

Some Memories of Germany, Frankfurt, Part 2

Besides apple wine,* which is hard cider, Frankfurt is known for "Handkäse mit Musik," with the first often written as "Handkäs," and it is literally "hand cheese," as it was formed by hand, although commercially now I'm sure it is all done by machine. It is a light colored cheese formed into a ball, which when served with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper, it is said to be "mit Musik" (with music). The reason for the music? Well, the polite explanation has always been that the oil and vinegar bottles clanking together provided "music," but the common explanation is that the onion caused some people to develop gas, which then provided the "music," if you get my drift. I always liked this cheese dish.

Another specialty of Frankfurt and region is "Grüne Soße" (ß=ss, "green sauce"), but known in Hessian dialect as "Grie Sooß," or "Grie Soos," an herb sauce made with various herbs, sour cream, mayonnaise or cream, chopped hard boiled eggs and some other ingredients, and often served with either boiled beef, salmon, boiled potatoes, or hard boiled egg halves. The herbs vary from area to area, and also by availability, but most often include some or all of the following: chives, parsley, chervil, sorrel, dill, watercress, borage and tarragon. I've often heard in Frankfurt that native son and famous author Johann Wolfgang von Goethe considered this sauce to be his favorite.

Frankfurt has a great shopping district, the "Zeil" (it is "die Zeil," pronounced as if "dee tsile," rhymes with "tile") a pedestrian only area, known in German as a "Fußgängerzone." It was, and I suppose still is, common to see musicians playing, gymnasts springing about, or magicians performing along the Zeil, and of course they had a jar, can or hat for "welcome donations." The Christmas season has the Frankfurt Christkindlmarkt (Christmas Market, literally, Christ Child Market) at the "Römerberg," a plaza in the heart of the old part of the city, which has the Frankfurt city hall, a structure several hundred years old, although much of it was destroyed in World War Two, only to be rebuilt as closely as possible to the original plans. I was in Frankfurt in December 1988 and got to see this seasonal market setup there, complete with a glass of "Glühwein" (warm spiced wine, literally to English: "glow wine"). I also was using Pan Am for my round trip, and I left Germany just like two days before that Pan Am flight exploded over Scotland, the result of a bomb placed on board, but my flight went directly from Frankfurt to New York, then a change of planes for Cleveland.    

* There are many dialects words for apple wine, including: Äppelwein, Ebbelwoi, Ebbelwei, and Stöffche,  although in standard German it is "Apfelwein."

This is a picture of the inside of the main train station (Hauptbahnhof) in Frankfurt from the 1980s, with some of the shops visible.

WORD HISTORY:
Shop-The origin of this word is uncertain, but Old Germanic had "skuppan," which meant "add-on building (to the main or original structure), additional building or structure." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "scoppa/sceoppa," which meant "shed, booth, workplace." This then became "shoppe," before the modern form, although "shoppe" is still used by some as part of the name for a business. The word's spelling was likely reinforced by French "eschoppe," which was borrowed from a Germanic dialect (Frankish? Low German? Dutch?), and which meant "booth." Since some sold items from these structures, the idea of "a place to sell merchandise" developed in English, and from that, "to go to such a place to buy merchandise," which gave English the verb sense in the 1600s. The meaning "place for work" has also lasted into modern times, especially in terms like "workshop," "metal shop" and "print shop." The original Germanic also gave Old English "scipen," which meant "cowshed, cow stall," and it came down to modern times as "shippon," but it survives in dialect in Eng;land, and still means "cowshed."  "Shop" has a close relative in German "Schuppen" (shed).